Reality Acid MTG Card


Reality Acid creates card advantage by targeting and removing opponent’s permanents over time. It enables resource acceleration indirectly and disrupts opponent’s tempo at instant speed. Despite its benefits, Reality Acid has downsides like specific mana requirements and a higher cost.
Card setsReleased in 2 setsSee all
Mana cost
Converted mana cost3
RarityCommon
TypeEnchantment — Aura
Abilities Enchant,Vanishing

Text of card

Enchant permanent Vanishing 3 (This permanent comes into play with three time counters on it. At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a time counter from it. When the last is removed, sacrifice it.) When Reality Acid leaves play, enchanted permanent's controller sacrifices it.


Cards like Reality Acid

Reality Acid’s unique place in Magic: The Gathering is marked by its ability to dismantle opponent’s permanents subtly yet effectively. Comparable cards include the likes of Unsummon or Boomerang, both of which return a target permanent to its owner’s hand, offering immediate board impact. While these cards are low-cost and instant-speed, they don’t match the inevitability of Reality Acid’s vanishing mechanic, which ultimately results in permanent removal.

Another parallel can be drawn with Oblivion Ring, which exiles any nonland permanent until Oblivion Ring leaves the battlefield. Reality Acid holds an edge by being able to target lands, making it a more versatile albeit slower option. Detention Sphere also offers a similar exile effect upon entrance, however, it’s confined to same-named nonland permanents and lacks Reality Acid’s potential for broader removal due to the vanishing trigger.

Each of these cards offers something valuable in the realm of controlling the board. However, Reality Acid stands unique with its removal mechanism that can circumvent various protective measures, ensuring that once the vanishing time comes, the demise of the targeted permanent is virtually guaranteed.

Unsummon - MTG Card versions
Boomerang - MTG Card versions
Oblivion Ring - MTG Card versions
Detention Sphere - MTG Card versions
Unsummon - MTG Card versions
Boomerang - MTG Card versions
Oblivion Ring - MTG Card versions
Detention Sphere - MTG Card versions

Decks using this card

MTG decks using Reality Acid. Dig deeper into the strategy of decks, sideboard cards, list ideas and export to play in ARENA or MOL.

#NameFormatArchetypeEvent
Azorius EphemerateAzorius Ephemerate PauperAzorius EphemeratePauper Challenge 32 2024-01-07

Card Pros

Card Advantage: With Reality Acid, players have access to a unique form of card advantage that does more than just draw cards. It enables a strategic displacement of any permanent, slowly unsettling your opponent’s board presence until the delayed trigger lets you finally remove the targeted permanent. This form of advantage often translates into winning the attrition war as your opponent loses resources over time.

Resource Acceleration: Although Reality Acid itself doesn’t directly accelerate resources, it indirectly contributes to resource acceleration by stripping your opponent of their key permanents. As their resources dwindle, your relative resource advantage increases, allowing you to deploy your hand and strategies more effectively.

Instant Speed: Reality Acid’s strength is not in its speed but in the inevitability it imposes. Even so, when paired with effects that can return it to hand at instant speed, it becomes a reusable solution. This creates unexpected interruptions during your opponent’s turns, upsetting their tempo and forcing them to play around your open mana and potential bounce effects.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: One of the downsides to Reality Acid is that deploying it effectively often requires a well-timed combo or sacrificing another permanent, which can deplete your in-play assets and reduce your tactical flexibility on the board.

Specific Mana Cost: Reality Acid asks for a specific blend of mana to cast — one blue and two generic mana. This can be restrictive, especially in multi-colored decks that might struggle to produce the right color combination consistently.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: With a casting cost of three mana, Reality Acid can be considered expensive for its immediate impact. When evaluated against other removal options, it might seem less attractive given that the removal effect isn’t immediate and hinges on the enchanted permanent being sent to the graveyard, which can be too slow against fast-paced or highly aggressive decks.


Reasons to Include Reality Acid in Your Collection

Versatility: Reality Acid offers a flexible removal option that can target any permanent. This adaptability makes it useful in a broad array of decks, from control to blink strategies, where its removal effect can be reapplied.

Combo Potential: With its ability to latch onto permanents, Reality Acid can turn any bounce or flicker effect into a potent removal tool. Pairing it with cards that can return it to your hand or flicker it can create repeatable destruction synergies.

Meta-Relevance: Owing to its capacity to disrupt opponents’ boards regardless of the permanent type, Reality Acid remains pertinent in metas that are heavy with persistent threats like planeswalkers, enchantments, and indestructible creatures.


How to beat

Reality Acid represents a unique form of blue control in MTG, offering a slow, but inevitable removal of permanents. To effectively counter this persistent threat, players must pivot their strategies around its limitation—its vanishing mechanic. Adopting an aggressive playstyle maintains pressure and reduces the window for Reality Acid to impact the board state significantly. Accelerating your game plan can disrupt an opponent’s intention to utilize Reality Acid’s time-based removal effectively.

Further, incorporating instant-speed interaction into your deck allows you to respond to the Reality Acid’s trigger by either bouncing or removing the targeted permanent before it takes full effect. Cards like Disenchant or Naturalize can be excellent tools to deal with Reality Acid attached to your valuable permanents. Artifact removal is also useful since some decks employ flicker mechanisms to reset Reality Acid’s vanishing counters, often using artifacts like Voyager Staff.

Summed up, the key to surpassing the Reality Acid challenge is to stay ahead of the curve, limit its impact with swift actions, and to include answers that can immediately deal with it or its support structures. A vigilant and quick approach can neutralize its influence and maintain your hold on the game.


BurnMana Recommendations

Dive deeper into the strategic depths of MTG with Reality Acid, a card that can quietly shift the tide of any match. Effective card advantage and creative combo executions make Reality Acid a unique asset in your magical arsenal. Balancing its slow vanishing act with your overall strategy may require careful planning, but mastering its potential can set the stage for a gratifying victory. Expand your collection’s versatility and combat meta-relevant threats efficiently with this distinctive enchantment. Looking for ways to optimize its use or counteract its effects? Visit us to unlock deeper insights and elevate your gameplay to the next level.


Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Reality Acid MTG card by a specific set like Planar Chaos and Time Spiral Remastered, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Reality Acid and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Reality Acid Magic the Gathering card was released in 2 different sets between 2007-02-02 and 2021-03-19. Illustrated by James Wong.

#ReleasedNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
12007-02-02Planar ChaosPLC 452003NormalBlackJames Wong
22021-03-19Time Spiral RemasteredTSR 812015NormalBlackJames Wong

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Reality Acid has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
PaupercommanderLegal
ModernLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PauperLegal
VintageLegal
DuelLegal
PredhLegal